UK

Cashman Condemns Tories for "Opportunist" Gay Summit

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A Labour Euro MP and gay rights campaigner has attacked the Conservatives as "opportunist" and "hypocritical" in the wake of their first-ever "gay summit" held in Westminster earlier this week.

Michael Cashman, the former Eastenders actor and MEP for the West Midlands, said: "The Conservative Party's apparent conversion to equality would be welcomed if it were not so cynical and difficult to believe.

"Just 12 months ago, Michael Howard voted against abolishing Section 28, which he introduced as Local Government Minister in 1988, and he has repeatedly voted against the equalisation of laws on the age of consent and on adoption rights.

"In his own backyard, Mr Howard has refused to condemn Conservative Kent County Council for retaining its own version of the spiteful law.

"And in the European Parliament Conservative MEPs have consistently failed to support legislation that would end discrimination inside and outside the workplace on the basis of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

"I'm afraid the Tory gay summit is just a hollow, opportunist pre-election stunt to mask their disgraceful track record and continuing hypocrisy. I suspect most people will see through this because actions always speak louder than words. Michael Howard's Conservatives can talk about being inclusive, but his past performance and the actions of his councillors and MEPs proves otherwise."

Mr Cashman, a founder member of the gay rights pressure group Stonewall, added: "It's Labour that have truly delivered for the lesbian, gay and bisexual community.

"Since 1997, we have achieved an equal age of consent, ended the ban on lesbians and gays in the military, ended discrimination against lesbian and gay partners for immigration purposes, enacted the right for lesbian and gay couples to adopt children and finally abolished Section 28. And this week the Government will publish a Bill to give same sex couples civil partnership rights."

31 March, 2004